England declare after Bell ton

Sunday 19 June 2011 15:45 BST

Ian Bell

Ian Bell cruised to a third hundred in his past five Test innings to help set up England's declaration on the fourth afternoon of the third npower Test.

Bell (119 not out) continued his prolific form, and Eoin Morgan (71) again showed his liking for the Rose Bowl - where he made two one-day international centuries last year - in England's 377 for eight.

The hosts therefore led by 193 before inviting Sri Lanka to try to bat out the remainder of this drastically rain-shortened match to salvage a draw and therefore just a 1-0 series defeat.

Bell's expert cutting, using the pace and true bounce of an excellent batting surface, was the most impressive feature of a 14th Test hundred which contained 12 fours from 159 balls.

Morgan was initially unhurried - taking 10 balls to get off the mark - before gradually building momentum in what became a punishing sixth-wicket stand of 137. With more than 150 overs taken out of the first three days by bad weather here, the likelihood of a stalemate loomed.

But England at least gave themselves an outside chance of victory by cashing in an already dominant position to the tune of 182 runs in 44.4 overs today.

Nightwatchman James Anderson was under way almost immediately this morning with a back-foot force for four in the first over, and maintained a handy scoring rate until - having just hit Chanaka Welegedara for successive off-side boundaries - he wafted an edge behind off the same bowler.

Morgan was initially content to allow Bell to press on. But after lunch, he joined in the relatively easy pickings off an unremarkable international attack which, even with the second new ball, could do little to halt the runs.

Morgan completed his 88-ball 50 and the century stand with a crunching square-drive off Welegedara for the fifth of his seven boundaries. The left-hander survived on 58 when DRS showed a delivery from Suranga Lakmal pitching marginally outside leg, reversing Rod Tucker's original lbw verdict.

When Morgan did go, edging behind on the charge at Lakmal, Matt Prior followed him back quickly - for a second ball duck, carving a catch straight to backward-point off Thisara Perera. Stuart Broad also made no score, holing out in the leg-side deep off Lakmal (three for 99) - at which point skipper Andrew Strauss decided it was time for England to declare.